


Tenacious | RICK GRIMES

by womanwhowritesformany



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Brotherhood, Drama, F/M, Fade to Black, Fanfic, Fanfiction, Friends to Lovers, Love, Rick Grimes fanfiction, Romance, Season 8, Sexual Themes, Sisterhood, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Survival, TWD Family, TWD Fandom, Violence, friendships, rick grimes - Freeform, rick grimes fanfic, season 5, season 6, season 7, the walking dead - Freeform, the walking dead fanfiction, twd, twd fanfiction, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:27:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26498617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/womanwhowritesformany/pseuds/womanwhowritesformany
Summary: A strong-willed, determined woman, Elena, tries keeping a firm hold of the people around her, trying to live in an gritty, apocalyptic world. During the midst of all things life threatening, Elena meets a group of people and a man she helps, both feeling an attraction towards each other.She attempts to keep things from falling apart, using her knowledge, compassion, strength and even her love, while killing the dead... and people that get in her way.
Relationships: Rick Grimes/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

Rick Grimes Fanfiction, updated every sunday on AO3 and on my Wattpad: A-TWDSPN-Love

Seasons 5-? 

Update Schedule: (HOPEFULLY) Sunday or Monday nights (eastern time)  
Cast list updated: July 21, 2019. See below. 

Prologue

"You saved my sons life. Mine and my family-"

"That was nothing." Elena shyly mutters as he takes several steps towards her. "I, uh just needed to do what was right that night."

"You and your friends risked your own life's because you heard us struggling. It was something." Rick's eyes are filled with a glimmer of hope- something he hasn't had in such a long period of time. When he takes her hand in his, her heart begins to beat faster by the second.

"I saw Carl, just a kid being overpowered by some man. I couldn't have just walked away. It was only the right thing to do. That's all."

"You... you're one of the only good people left in this world. Of course it means something."

"Rick."

"That night. You helped us, saved us."

"I told you, I did what I had to do."

"Stop." His raspy voice taking control of the conversation. "It just goes to show that I can trust you. And I don't trust just anybody."

Elena smiles as her head is facing the dark ground beneath everyone's feet. The two of them had stood all the way in the corner of the barn away from the rest of the group. When she looks back up, with the demand of Rick's finger lifting her chin up, she notices he's a lot closer. It could've been the cold that brought their bodies close, but the more she thought about it- the constant touches here and there ever since they gained that familiarity...

He leans his face in, foreheads and lips lingering just a few centimeters away. "Hey..."

"Rick..." 

☠ CAST☠

ALICE BRAGA AS ELENA

ANDREW LINCOLN AS RICK

TYLER POSEY AS ETHAN

ZOEY DEUTCH AS KATE

JESSICA CHASTAIN AS NORA

SONOYA MIZUNO AS JENNA  
&  
THE TWD CAST 

**no one is casted as Adrian, the kids or the old couple. use your imagination if you will!**

»»————- ☠ ————-««  
Although I have a cast for my main characters, please use your imagination with my descriptions of characters. Even if you read my characters the way they're written, or even what my cast looks like, feel free to use your beautiful minds to read them as what you look like, etc. ✨

Mature Rating:  
Language, Violence and "Sexual" themes.

None of The Walking Dead characters, storylines/plots and dialogue belongs to me; all rights belong to the creators of the comic books & TV show.

»»————- ☠ ————-««  
Playlist  
These songs are songs are songs I've listened to when I wrote some of these chapters. No specific order; listen if you want, when reading. Or even check them out on your own. I high recommend these artists, old and new.

Fall Over Banks

Scary Monsters David Bowie

As It Was Hozier

Stranger Mothxr

To Be Alone Hozier

Summer's Almost Gone The Doors

Hard Rain by Lykke Li

Long Long Time Linda Ronstadt

Hurt Johnny Cash

I Won't Back Down Johnny Cash

Sons of the Silent Age David Bowie

Blues Saraceno The River

Who'll Stop The Rain Creedence Clearwater Revival

Storms Fleetwood Mac

The End The Doors

To Be So Lonely Harry Styles 

»»————- ☠ ————-««

Thank you for beginning to read my new TWD: RICK GRIMES fanfic! Most of you are probably reading because I mentioned this new fic when I've been updating my Daryl Dixon fics! So, welcome and enjoy!  
Thanks to new readers! Don't forget to please vote and comment! I love reading comments and interacting with my followers/readers, plus it motivates me.  
I appreciate it so much. 🖤

Also: respectful feedback is welcomed! I'm always trying to learn to become a better writer, so feel free to leave comments or questions, and or direct message me! I'm glad to learn from other writers and that'll only make me better.  
Remember, be respectful and kind!

On top of that (I hope you're still reading this...), be interactive! I love meeting people on here and getting to know my readers, in hopes to gain some friendships on here! 💓💓


	2. All is Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning for Elena

Chapter One: All is Lost 

When it all happened, a lot of us never questioned why or how it happened. We just knew that we needed to survive.

There were dead people, walking, everywhere. Each one just dying for a taste of human flesh. The city was filled with too many of them. Every corner we turned, they were already there. All the pandemonium that irrupted in my home city, Austin, had put fear into our hearts and survival on our minds. Losing homes and the people we loved, it only left us with the memories of what we once had.

Even though I had been alone for quite some time at the beginning, I came across a community just outside the city. But that didn't last long. Despite it not holding up, I had found the one person I thought I lost forever. My younger brother. I had found him in a corner, dirty and shaken up. Thankfully, he was with someone he knew. His girlfriend. Each time the three of us had found groups, it seemed to have led us further away from the city. Some people were nice, some were desperate and some were just too cruel. People were like that even before everything turned to shit, but now it's all just intensified.

I was paranoid. More than I have ever been in my entire life. Back when I was in high school, a long time ago, the only thing I was paranoid about, was if no one had ever liked me. In college, the only thing I was paranoid about was the professors never grading my assignments or giving me the recognition I deserved.

But today, it wasn't anything like that. Every move I make, I always think someone's watching me, following me. Although I'm not entirely wrong, it was just the constant reminder that the dead are walking and lingering, wanting us.

Over time, I had grown familiar with how to survive day by day, using basic survival skills. How to make a fire, a small booby trap, and how to cover my tracks if I were in the woods. Each group we had been in, I picked up the simplest but most effective ways to survive.

I was fresh out of college, working and trying to get away from the city and have my first vacation ever. But obviously, things didn't go as plan. I will never be able to experience the rest of my normal life in such a new, broken down world.

This is the new world now. I just need to make it ours again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a mini chapter! This is the beginning! I'm so excited go be writing a Rick Grimes fic. I've tried before, but my focus was (and still is) the Daryl fic I have! I'm so happy, thank you for checking this out! Will have a updating schedule for this book soon!🖤


	3. Jackpot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena, her brother and Kate hit the jackpot when finding a small town.

Chapter Two: Jackpot

Autumn must've started. The trees had fern colored leaves, some gold, dangling off branches while others gathered on the forest grounds. We left the city along time ago, straying away from big cities and towns. There were hiking trails, but we decided to not follow directly on the trail, wanting to avoid any potential threats. We must've been in Texas for a very long time until we just reached Louisiana. With no actual destination, we just kept moving.

We tried understanding and figuring out how long it's been since it happened. I knew that I was just about twenty five when I finished completing my six years of college. It felt like years have gone by, but we weren't so sure.

The three of us walked out of the woods and into a small town community, which looked like it could've been a place in a western movie you'd see on tv before skipping the channel. The sky was still blue, but the sun looked like it was going to set soon, so I had suggested we'd stop for the night. My younger brother, Ethan, who was just about twenty three or so, walked ahead and looked around the first few stores we passed.

"I don't think it's such a good idea to stay here." Kate comments, as her and I walked side by side.

"Well, it's a good thing we aren't." I reply, "We're just here to gather supplies. Look, there's a board over there." I walk towards the building that had a bulletin board against the brick wall. "I say we just make a plan for now, then sleep it off. Leave first thing tomorrow morning. Okay? Look," I reach to the clear plastic bin that was attached to the towns board. Inside, there was pamphlets. "They're about the town. Facts, all that type of shit."

"Alright that's cool, but is there a map in there? I need to find better clothes." Kate says, pulling the small sweater off her waist and throwing it on herself.

I open up the pamphlet and turn it around, exposing the back, my brows rising up, as I smirked.

"And they have a map! " Ethan laughs. "Don't know why they'd have a map for this place, but okay."

"So, there's a small shop for clothes. A grocery store, furniture store and a whole bunch of other shops for things." I explain, my eyebrows furrowing down as I try reading it. "It's getting dark out. I say we just lay low and get up early tomorrow. Then we'll gather things."

Ethan raises his hand up, shaking it back in forth, like he has an idea. "Furniture store. Haven't slept on a bed in so long."

Kate and I let out a laugh as we watch him take the map out of my hands, trying to find where the store would be. "Alright, you two go find the place. I'm going to go check the rest of this place out."

"Goddamn it, again? Alone?" He asks. "You do this too much. We shouldn't risk splitting up anymore."

"I agree, Elena." Kate turns her head to me. "We need to stay together. It's just us now, not like how it was before and all the other times."

I shake my head as my hand goes to grab the gun out of my waistband. "I'm perfectly capable of doing things on my own. Now, go. Find food, get things that could be useful!"

"And what are you going to do?" Ethan raising his eyebrows.

"There's a gas station. I'm going to check it out. That's what I'll be doing." I smile, tilting my head as I watch him.

My brother rolls his eyes in response, and then begins walking away. Kate gives me a sympathetic smile, then goes to catch up with Ethan. They should be more worried about themselves they should of me, an almost and probably thirty year old woman, who's taking care of her younger brother and his girlfriend.

I watch them disappear into what looks like the furniture store we were looking for.

I grabbed another map and follow the arrows towards a gas station, just about two blocks away. As I walk in the middle of the black streets, map in hand, I look left and right at all the little stores. It was a cute town, shops and small homes painted in neutral colors.

Once I reached the station, my eyes widened at the sight in front of me, my heart pounding in excitement.

A fucking car!

A black and dusty truck, one of the doors opened, parked right on the side of one of the gas pumps. I pull of my book bag and search the trunk for anything useful.

I notice a tool box and as I open it, I find a hammer, screwdriver and some screws. I figure it might come in handy, so I shove it into my bag. A cooler and some towels filled the rest of the trunk, along with some fold up metal chairs. There wasn't as many things I thought there would be inside this huge truck. A bottle of liquor and a bunch of useless shit. I took the bottle, carefully placing it in my bag, along with some bottles of water that was left in a plastic wrap.

After packing things away, I check to see if there's any gas left in the containers and even in the pumps. Luckily, there was enough to fill up almost two of the containers. When I get the last bit of gas out, I go back to the trunk and hide them behind the cooler and underneath some towels, hoping no one comes through this town.

When I get back to Ethan and Kate, we choose to settled down in the furniture store, which happened to be filled almost to the ceiling. We figured we'd all be comfortable and ready fo get some sleep, after we gathered food and supplies. Our faces lit up once we all came back together, it was like we got the jackpot.

In this environment, it really felt like we had hit the jackpot.

"Where you going?" Kate asks once Ethan stands up.

"Just goin' to use the bathroom. I'll be back." He bends down to kiss her on the head, and soon, he leaves out the front. I watch Kate watch him leave, smiling to herself as she admires her love.

"You two really love each other, huh?" I smile at Kate, as she watches my brother leave the furniture store we were sitting in.

"Yeah," she laughs. "I was nervous to start college alone. Then we met a few weeks into the semester and it got better from there."

"I'm sorry you never got to... you know. Finish school. When he brought you home that time, I remember you being so passionate about school."

"I'm sorry too. But hey, it's not our fault. This shit isn't normal, but we're surviving. That's all that matters now. At least I got to experience three years."

"Yeah, but I think what you have matters too." I say, closing my eyes. "I probably shouldn't say this, but before all this happened, Ethan was asking me for opinions. I don't know why, since I'm not married, or had anyone-"

"What was he asking you about?" She sits up, intrigued from what I had said.

"He wanted my opinion on some rings he was looking at. I know you two are young, but love is love."

"He... he was going to ask me to marry him?" She asks. I nod, smiling at her unsteady voice. "What did they look like?" She was hopeful, kind and so innocent. And it sucked that this is what happened to our world, all the things that we dreamed about when we were younger, were now even farther away from us.

"The rings? They were delicate, shiny and pretty. Don't know where he got the taste from. Our dad was not the romantic type." I laugh, thinking about my parents and their not so romantic love story. It was a love that I had always hoped I would experience.

Minutes pass by since Ethan left, and Kate starts to worry. "Ethan..."

Standing up, I walk towards the entrance of the shop. "I'm going to check." I open the door slowly, popping my head outside. It's pitch black outside, so maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"Was that Ethan?!" Kate runs towards me.

"Yelling? Maybe." I take out my gun and step outside, leaving Kate at the door. Before I could ask for the flashlight, I feel a body knock into mine. It was my brother crashing into me, knocking me into door, slamming it on Kate. I hear her yelp, and I push off the door and rush to look at her. "Fuck. Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." she rubs her head, a breathy laugh releases from her mouth and nose.

"And what the fuck happened to you? What's happening?" I look my brother up and down, making sure he didn't get bit or scratched by the dead. "Are you hurt?" He tries to explain, but he's still running out of breath. He pushes his way through the stores doors and bring us with him.

"Baby, what's happening?" Kate begins to panic, her hands reaching out for him, for comfort. "Ethan?"

"Those fucking things are everywhere!" He yells, pulling us inside the building. "I just go two blocks down, I do my business. I turn around and they're all coming at me."

"How many?" I ask, pulling together our stuff, ready to leave if necessary.

"A lot more than a dozen."

"Two dozen?"

"A lot more than two dozen."

"Jesus fucking chri- hundreds?!"

"Looked like it!" He yells back, throwing his backpack behind his shoulder and pulling Kate to his side.

"If there's more than we can handle, we need to leave." Kate worries, her hands gripping her backpack, knuckles turning white.

I look at them both. They're both tough enough to take some of the dead down, but I wasn't sure if they could handle more than a couple dozen. I pull my hair up into a pony tail and secure my bag behind my back. They watch me as I walk towards the door with my gun in hand.

"You two start heading to the car! I need to take some of them down in order for us to get a head start out of here." I explain, running towards the few dead that same towards us.

"We can't just leave you here!" Kate says. "We need to help."

"Elena, please don't." My brother pleads. "I get it, you're tough you can kill some. But that many? You're risking your life!"

"No, no. Just trust me." I smile, "I'll see you in just a few minutes, Ethan." With that they run, with bags filled with supplies and food, towards the car that we had parked just one block down. I turned away from them and aimed at the the some of the dead that reached me. I needed to slow them down and that's what I was going to do.

Running down towards the gas station, I hop into the car and raise the flash light to my mouth, aiming it underneath the wheel. I rip out the plastic grey cover where the wires were covered. I see the bundles of different wires.

"Shit." I try to remember what the bundles are and which one is the one that starts up the ignition and battery.

Before I start to actually rip apart the wires and start the car, I take the flashlight out of my mouth and sit up. I begin searching the car as quickly as I could for keys. None in the visor. None in the glove compartment. I check the floors, nothing.

I suddenly hear the dead coming from afar. I check inside the cup holders.

"Fuck! Yes. Okay, okay." I found them.

My hands fumble with the keys, but I instantly grip onto them, shoving them into the key into the ignition.

I pull out of the gas station, driving past some of the dead. Speeding up, I turn the headlights on and instantly, I slam on the breaks once I spot Ethan and Kate. Rolling down the window, I yell out to them.

"Get In! Hurry!"

"Oh thank god." Ethan breathes out, rushing Kate into the truck and following behind her. "Thought something bad happened to you."

"Really? After all this time with saving your ass?" I laugh once I hear the both of them let out a chuckle.

Driving away from the town, I get some "alone time" once they fall asleep. My left hand rests on my forehead, elbow resting on the side of glass, as my other steers the wheel. We haven't had a car in a long time that I forgot how intense and the amount of creeps I get driving in the night. Pitch black, only the headlights are my source of light. I let out a sigh. I wish it didn't have to be like this. For the first time in a while, I wish I was around people. People who knew how to survive and keep a group going without any little mishaps.

But maybe, I should be thankful for having my brother by my side. His girlfriend. Maybe this is just what we needed and nothing more.


	4. Luck

Chapter Three: Luck

My mind often wonders where I would be now, if none of this is happening. I always focused on my college work during the first four years, never took a break from it. Even after receiving my masters, it felt like something was missing from my life. Although family had been my life along with my (potential) career, I hadn't found the one. And I know, in a time like this, why would I be worried about that? Love. Shouldn't surviving every second, every day, be more important than some wonders?

I sometimes lead myself into thinking that the reason why I might be caring so much about what would've been, is because I'm getting older. Right at my thirties, right at the end of the world. I could never win. Unless surviving everyday was a win...

Settling down was something I always longed for. Keeping a steady career for the rest of my life, be known for something else besides being known for the one who always focused on her work. Things like this, it isn't reality anymore. Surviving is. That's all I needed to focus on now, dwelling on the past will only keep me in trouble.

The truck had lasted about a few hours with the amount of gas we had, since we found the gas and the truck back in the small town. Yesterday we had been lucky enough to find another fast station, a few miles away from where I had parked the truck. Ethan insisted he'd go travel alone to get us the gas, but Kate had volunteered to go along with him. Even though I had always been fine with being alone, traveling alone and going on runs alone, my brother never wanted to separate. That was his fear.

Although Ethan is younger, by a couple of years, he always tried to protect me. But, no matter how much he protested, he ended up listening to me. It's always what's best for us. My eyes were always open, I kept myself ready for anything that could happen, so ultimately I was perfectly fine in any situation.

As of today, I was still driving. Since the law didn't matter anymore, I thought driving fast would be a good idea. Also, it would give us some entertainment since the CD's we had found were a bunch of country songs, which was a genre we did not like. Despite growing up and living in Texas, it was not a genre that was enjoyable.

"Wait! Wait, stop!" Ethan hit my shoulder, sitting in the passenger seat, his loud voice hurting my right ear. "Stop driving! Go back." I pressed hard on the breaks, our bodies shoving forward.

A screech from both the car and Kate rang through our ears. "What the fuck, Ethan!?"

He turned in his seat and stared at the both Kate and I. "There's a damn store back there!"

"I didn't see anything." Kate said, turning her head to look behind us.

"It was on my side!" He explained. "You didn't even see it because you were going too fast without a destination."

"Oh well excuse me for trying to get us anywhere. You have somewhere you want to go? You drive." I scold him, turning off the car.

"Yeah, I want to go to that store." He says calmly, but his eyes tell me otherwise. "Come on." His eyes brows go up, trying to convince me to turn around.

"Listen," Kate begins to speak as she leans forward on both of our seats with her arms. "We'll turn back around, split up in the store and find as much food as we can. Elena, I'll drive us back towards wherever we're going. Okay?" I close my eyes and inhale, taking a moment before any further conversation with my brother. Exhaling, I open my eyes and nod my head, starting the car back up and making a u turn.

"It's not as far as you may think it is. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get all mean or whatever." He speaks.

"I didn't mean to either." I say, keeping my eyes on the road. "These things happen. No way to avoid arguments, especially when it's only us."

"But there shouldn't be any." He makes a point. If we only had each other, what was the point in obnoxious fights?

"I get that it's just been the three of us for a long time, so I understand if there are little bumps along this hard fucking road."

"I just said there shouldn't be any of that."

I've always appreciated my brothers honesty. I would say he got it from me, but our parents were quite the honest, blunt people. No one talked for the few minutes I had spent driving back towards the place Ethan said he had seen. He was right. I drove off the road and on a grass field, where there was the store, slightly hidden by some trees. It seemed like a far-out, peculiar spot for a place like this since there wasn't many houses around and by the road.

"We go in together. Splitting up right now may not seem to be the best idea." I say, getting out of the car, as I look up at the dark orange sky. "It'll be dark soon. We go in, get everything we can take and then leave." I look back into the car at Ethan and Kate, who are gathering their things and stepping out of the truck.

"Sounds like a plan." Ethan speaks. "Guess we've been lucky these past few days, huh?"

"We'll only be lucky today if there's stuff on the shelves." I speak.

"We have the flashlights right?" Kate asks, a grimace look upon her face, waiting for an answer.

"Just the one." I answer. "You don't have to be scared, Kate. Ethan and I are right here, yeah?"

She nods her head as she clutches onto a knife, waiting for me to lead the way. "Like I said, we go down each aisle together. Take whatever seems edible, water and maybe any things you see that could be needed."

"Shit." Ethan sighs, as he takes a hammer to the chain that's wrapped around the door, hitting it as many times it takes till it breaks. "There we go."

"I really hope there isn't any dead's inside." Kate admits, standing close to the side of Ethan.

"I just hope they have some donuts in there." Ethan responds. "Maybe some gandules in a can. The one with the guy on it."

I turn to my brother and furrow my brows at him, shaking my head. "I know we're all hungry right now, but let's focus on not dying while we're trying to get to the food?"

Ethan unravels the chain and picks it up, wrapping it around his hands. "Oh come on, I know you're thinking about all the food we used to eat."

I roll my eyes, but a smirk takes over as I remember the good times our family had growing up, along with the home food and the traditions that were passed down and stuck with us. Even if everyone was gone and it was just us, it'll never die until we do.

Stepping towards the doors, I knock on them harshly. There were no moans of any signs of the dead, so I pushed open the doors. Before they can close on their own, we walked straight in. "What was that!?" Ethan whispers, as Kate shushes him, as we walked side by side into the store, hearing incoherent noises from afar.

Sounds of fast footsteps echoed the dark grocery store, as well as other inconspicuous noises. The moment I stepped forward and away from the two to investigate, I'm immediately pushed to the side, clashing into another body, as I fall to the ground.

"Elena!?" My brother yells out, the same time Kate screams at the noise.

Scrambling to my feet, I aim the flashlight above the gun, which was pointing down to the ground. The light had found the face of pale, dark haired teen, laying on the ground with frightened eyes. "Please don't hurt me!"


	5. Win Some

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena and the group find others.

Chapter four: Win Some 

"Please don't hurt me!"

"Are you alone?" I ask, hesitant to put my gun down. The young boy on the floor must've been in his mid teenage years, his face was young and his hair ruffled. His face was filled with fear, as he backed away from me, still on the ground. His breathing was frantic like his voice was.

"No, no. Not at all." He nods furiously. "Please, we're just kids."

I dropped my right hand that was holding the gun down to my side, putting it in on the side of my waist. Reaching forward, my hand waiting for his, he looks at me. "I won't hurt you, I promise." He puts his hand in mine, and I lift him him up easily. "You said you're not alone. Are you with family?"

"Something like that, yeah." He nervously responds.

"What's your name?" Ethan asks.

"I'm-"

"Jake!" Another person comes running, holding onto the boy we had just met. "Whoa, who the fuck are you!?" He holds up the bat that's in his hands, ready to defend himself. He looked a lot older than the young boy in front of us, but not too old.

"I'm not going to hurt you guys." I say. "Like I just told you, I promise. Your names Jake?" I ask the boy.

"Yeah, I am. This is my friend, Adrian." his friend lowers the bat and nods. "We have two more of us, outside in the back."

"I'm Elena. That's my younger brother Ethan and that's Kate." I nod. "Are you all staying here? We just want to gather food and water. We can split things if you want."

"No, we aren't, we're actually staying-" Jake's friend hits him in the arm, interrupting him from talking. I furrow my brows at the boys in front of me, watching them carefully.

"No, we aren't staying here." The friend responded for him.

"Yeah, just doing the same things you're doing."

"You said you had a place?" Kate asks, standing beside me. "You said you all were staying somewhere else?"

"I..." The kid Jake must've been wary of us, not sure if he was supposed to say anything.

The guy Adrian sighs, looks down and pushes his hair back away from his face. "I'm in charge, so I guess... Alright. Jake, go back with the others. Just give me a few minutes."

"Okay." Jake nods. "Oh, thank you... for not hurting me." He speaks to me, then walks away, disappearing into the back of the store. Adrian's eyebrows raise in question, as I stare at the boy who left.

"So this place...?" Ethan speaks up, probably hoping to get an answer or location out of this guy. They must've been around the same age, Adrian probably being just shy of Ethan's age.

"We weren't looking for a place to settle down." Adrian begins talking. "I was alone for most of my time, but I found these young kids and told them I'd keep them safe."

"And they just trusted you?" I ask, setting the flashlight on one of those conveyor belts in the grocery store, so that the light could brighten up the spot we were standing in.

"Well, I saved them. A bunch of moaners chasing them down, so I helped them. They reminded me of some family I once had." He explains. "If I didn't save them that day, I'm sure I would've been dead by now."

I nod my head in understanding. "Are you staying somewhere far from here?"

"No, not at all. Probably a few miles down, a farm house."

"Just you and these kids?" Ethan asks.

Adrian nods his head, "There's an old couple there. It's their home. Our deal is that we go out and gather things we all need and they let us stay."

Ethan taps my arm and gives me a wide eyed look, like he's trying to tell me something. "Is there any chance," I begin to speak as I turn back to Adrian. "we can help gather up food and water and supplies and help you? We have a truck."

Adrian's eyes went wide and shook his head. "Yes! Please, yeah. That would be, uh, nice of you to do."

"They're kids." Kate said. "Of course we'll help."

"I'm guessing you guys want a place to stay..." Adrian implies. "Look, I can't guarantee it."

"You just have to take us there with you." I say, picking up the flashlight. "The couple you said that lives there... they'll decide. Right now, we should get everything we need."

After setting up a simple plan for us, we decided to split up as a small group and search for the things we came here for. Ethan and Kate took a cart, as I made sure I would go with Adrian, with another. Standing side by side in one of the aisles, he moves the cart as I reach for items off the shelf. Bottles of water and other energy drinks were still there, dust upon them. I was surprised to see anything left, after hitting a bunch of stores in Texas and along the way, we haven't been so fortunate to find anything.

"It's great to see other people," Adrian says, as I'm snapped out of my thoughts. " Good people. Besides the old ones, we haven't ran into any nice people in a while. Most of them either want to kill you and grab your things, some are just..."

"Cruel." I finish the sentence. "Trust us, we understand. I'm glad to see young people now, kids. Teenagers."

"Why's that?"

"Because, we might need people like you one day. Rebuild this world." I say, trying to convince myself and others that we'll be around to see everyone come back from this, that this can't be the end of our world.

We filled carts up with water bottles we found, along with pedi lite bottles which are extremely important, along with canned, boxed and jar foods that are easy and edible. Ethan, Kate and I had packed everything into the back of the truck, as we waited for Adrian to bring the kids with him. I didn't want to be mean when we met them, I wanted to show them we are people to trust and people that keep hope alive. We aren't vicious people, but when we are... it's because we needed to survive others and not just the dead.

I pointed my flashlight towards the noises of footsteps. I pulled my gun out, but quickly retracted it once I had laid eyes on Adrian, Jake and the teens that followed behind.

"Thank you." Adrian said. "For the help, for this. I'm hoping they want to meet you, hopefully let you stay."

"Like I said before, they're kids." Kate spoke. "We're not only doing this for us."

"Besides, it's good to see someone else around our age. My sister is getting old." Ethan jokes, but I glare at him.

"I'm only, most likely, in my thirties, alright?" I shrug him off. "Anyways, we've met you. We've met Jake."

Adrian smiles, "Ah! That's right, yeah. So these guys," he pulls from behind him, two other teens around Jakes age. A blonde haired girl and boy stood by his side, quiet. "This is Maia and Shia. They're siblings. They talk, trust me. But, they take a while to warm up to people."

"Hi there, I'm Ethan." My brother introduces him self, a warm smile appearing on his face. "This is my older sister, Elena."

The kids, who had to be in the middle of their teenage years, smile back. "Hi." Shia says, as his sister stays quiet.

"I'm Kate." She steps forward and bends down to the siblings. "You don't need to be afraid. Can I be your friend?"

"Okay." Maia smiles, warming up to us - well, just to Kate.

"You two remind me of some people I used to know. They had hair like you guys." Kate says. "Come, lets get you in the truck."

I watch her, with the approval from Adrian, get them settled into the truck behind us. Looking at my brother admire his girlfriend, I take a moment to appreciate Ethan, and what we have in times like this. Kate has lost so much, just like us, she didn't have anymore family... blood family. Although she had us around, I'm sure it could be hard to be the only one around and feel isolated.

"Alright, we should get going." Adrian speaks. "I said it was only a few miles from here."

"Sun should be coming up by the time we get there then." I speak, leading us to the truck. "Just tell me which way to drive, I'll get us there."

"Will do."

I wait for everyone to be strapped in, which I had always made sure we did, once we sat in any cars. Even if there was no one on the roads driving, or anyone around, it was better to be safe, than off dying and become a dead one walking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave some kudos!! Comment! I would love to update more if know people are reading and enjoying!
> 
> There's a few more chapters until Rick and others show up. My intentions were to never immediately start with getting Rick and TWD characters in early chapters!
> 
> But I promise you'll see them soon 😊


	6. Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena and the group run into some alarming troubles with walkers

Ever since whatever this was had began, time had seem to be and feel nonexistent. The only time it had mattered, was when the sun came up and back down. Days felt longer, nights seemed to never end.

Driving had made things worse too. Despite no more traffic, despite no more people to be bothered by, it was the stupid things that annoyed you, that was missed. The small things in life that didn't matter as much as other things.

The other things. Things that mattered before the dead destroyed it all. 

After getting back into the car with Adrian when we took a break from driving, the sun was starting to rise. It stood silent between the two of us, mostly because I didn't think we had the energy to talk. I barely had the energy to drive, so I knew the next place I'd see, would be a resting and planning to stop again.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"Where were you?"

"Jake's friend. He woke me up, told me he felt scared. I got up for the waters that we picked up and when I came back he had left. I figured the bathroom, so I didn't give it much thought at first."

"That's when you left?"

"Yeah, to find him. And now," he sighs, "I'm just thinking maybe that was him."

He refers back in the kitchen with Anne and the body on the table that was covered and severed up. He doesn't say it, so I don't either.

"I'm sorry." I turn my face to his, watching his hands go through his hair. "You probably watched these kids for so long, yeah?"

"Feels like it. I found them, helped them. I couldn't leave them alone, they needed someone."

"We all need people."

"Especially now."

"Especially now." I repeat. "We've just met, and after the things I've been through with groups of people, I promised myself that I wouldn't let that happen again. I've got my brother to lookout for. But... after last night, you helping him. I owe you."

"So I guess we're sticking together then?" Adrian lets out a soft laugh.

"Yeah, I guess we are."

Another day has gone. Adrian took over with driving and Kate stood in the back with the kids and Ethan.

My brother was still in pain, his leg wrapped up in a t shirt and rested on Kate the past two days. We needed to find a place fast, try our best to wrap him up. Finding a place where we can rest was one thing, but finding somewhere we can get our hands on medical supplies and things alike, wasn't easy.

Although Kate wasn't a medical student, she was becoming a veterinarian. The human body and the body of an animal, especially dogs, were different. But we were all hoping that when we found the things we needed, she'd be able to at least patch him up.

Growing up in a Hispanic household, we always had sewing kits around the house. We weren't explicitly taught how to sew, but we learned by simply watching anyone who had the needles.

Kate was sure the bullet was out of his leg since there was an exit on the other side. The wound was right above his knee, close to his thigh. She had kept pressure on it for the two days we were traveling. Luckily, we had found a run down bar that had some leftover alcohol.

Adrian had checked for any medical kits, but there wasn't any. And if there were, they would've already been taken by someone else. We found cloth and towels earlier today at the bar and made sure we had cleaned his wound with a bad brand of vodka. 

As the day had gone by, we rested all together, in the bar. I had stood by the front while everyone else had stuck behind me. I had made it know to all of them that I had to watch and lookout for our safety. Adrian had tried to protest, saying I needed rest too. But I denied. I was currently sticking my head out the two heavy doors of the bar and peaking around. I had parked the truck earlier in a way it looked like it hadn't moved, just in case people had come to find it.

I hear Adrian's voice call out my name and I sighed, pulling myself back in from the outside.

"What's up?"

"I was looking at the map. Look's like we're about hit Alabama."

I nod my head. "Okay."

"Everything alright?"

"We just need to find med supplies, by tomorrow if not today."

"We will, but in order to do so, we need to rest. Especially if you and I are the only ones driving."

"If we leave now, we'll have more time to find stuff. More time to rest, and less time Ethan will be in pain."

Adrian steps forward shaking his head. "Your brother will be in pain no matter what until we get hands on those supplies. A few hours of you resting, me resting, he will be okay. Now please, go sit down and just rest."

I stare him down, but don't answer. There wasn't any need to further the conversation which might've led to an argument. Now wasn't the time.

So, I walked past him and stood behind the bar looking for something other than vodka. I rummaged through the dusty bottles of the dark liquor, trying to find something that wasn't disgusting. Vodka was an option, but definitely not for me. Looking at all of the bottles reminded me of the days back in college where I did drink at parties. But it was rare that I did. I was too busy with over exhausting myself with getting the best grades and career for myself.

It seemed like it might be too late to life that life I wanted then, now. The world - probably - was dead, the things you'd do normally would put you in danger. So, looking at my favorite liquor in front of me, rum, I shook my head and placed it back on the counter.

Now's not the time.

My hands were placed on the counter, my arms stretching out as I leaned my body down to stretch. I let out a sigh and hang there for a few. Maybe I did need to rest. But we also needed to keep moving, stay safe and get my brother fixed up.

"Lena?"

I look up and see Kate standing on the other side of the bar.

"Everything okay?" She asks.

"Yeah, it's fine. How's Ethan?"

"He's okay, maybe. I'm thinking I need to go out and find something for him. Water, Gatorade.. something. We left everything back at the farm at the house."

I chew on my lip, debating in my head weather or not she should go or we should all just pack up and leave.

"Okay. We'll pack up, get into the truck and head out."

"Elena, Ethan needs to stay in once place, just for now. We can't have him bleeding out every time we decided to move." She objects.

"I understand," I shake my head, "but we can't stay in one place for so long, we need to keep moving. We'll find something, somewhere for him. And you're not going alone out there."

"I'll go with her." Adrian calls out as he walks towards us. "You stay here with Ethan and the kids. We'll be back before the sun comes down."

"No one ever listens to me, huh?"

"It's not that we're not listening, Lena." Kate begins to speak. "I promise you, we'll leave first thing tomorrow. One night, one day or more won't hurt us."

"It did just days ago. Months ago too, remember?"

She doesn't respond, instead she looks down and hides her face. I watch Adrian look back and forth between her and I, as if he's trying to figure out what I meant.

After the conversation dies down and we stand there, I sigh and give in. "Listen to me. Both of you, you go and come back. You get back and we leave tomorrow night. That's all."

Kate looks back up and reaches for my hand across the bar. "You know I love you and I love Ethan too. We're family and we just need to stay on the same page."

"That page being safety." I say.

"Yeah."

"So we're going?" Adrian asks her.

"Yeah, I'm just going to tell Ethan." She walks away and Adrian leans forward, placing his body on top of the counter.

"We haven't know you for that long, but let me just tell you this." I lean in, hoping I have his attention on me. "She's like a sister to me, that's his love. Look out for each other, be back before the sun is down."

"I got it."

I watch him walk away and bend down to the kids, telling them he was leaving. Kate had kissed Ethan's forehead as his hand held her wrist. I smiled with sentiment, looking at the two. In my head, I was hoping things would go just fine with Kate and Adrian on this little run.

Minutes later, I had walked the two out of the bar and told them going on foot would be better. Especially if everything was in walking distance. It wasn't a big town, it wasn't small either. But, there also wasn't a lot of places to find certain things we needed.

After giving them a bag out of the truck and some extra bullets, they walked off together in hopes to find supplies.

The kids were occupied still with cards for the day. I even found paper and pens in an office in the back for them to use. They weren't that talkative or energetic, but then again, they didn't grow up in a normal world. Adrian before had told me he told Jake about his friend, telling him he was in a better place now, whenever that was.

I sat beside my brother, who was currently laying down on a cushioned booth. "They'll be back soon. Safe."

"I know. I just can't lose her."

"You should worry about yourself right now. You're the one bleeding out over here." I let out a laugh as Ethan groans.

"You can't make me laugh right now." He says as he starts to laugh. "Kate's tough, I know she can handle herself. But knowing that she's not with us right now, just makes me feel fucking queasy."

"That's the bullet wound, dude."

"Yeah, I know."

"Are you worried because she's with Adrian?"

"No, we've been with him for almost a month. He took care of these kids in his own. I trust him. I think you should too."

"I do."

"Do you?" He looks up at me with doubt.

"I owe him for saving your life. I trust him, he showed me that. But we can never be too careful."

He nods his head. "Listen, I know you still think I'm just a kid."

"You'll always be." I smile.

"But you have to understand that I can take care of myself, which means you need to start taking care of yourself."

"I'm just trying to protect you. Always. We're the only family we got left, I need to hold onto that." I argue back.

"That's fine, okay? But a time is gonna come soon where we'll find some place and like it. And we're going to have to settle down in this piece of shit world and make it work. That means protecting and holding on to who you are."

It stays silent after he speaks, probably because I know he's speaking some truth. But we couldn't risk our lives anymore. No more settling down, we needed to keep moving. 

It's already dark out. It's been hours since the sun has come down, and I was pacing back and forth by the front doors of the bar. They didn't get back. I told them that, and they're not here.

It makes me think back to the time where we back at that store and the group of people were split down the middle. Where I had threatened and killed a guy that endangered us all.

Kate and Adrian arrive, panting as they walk through the door in a panic. Adrian had a flashlight pointing directly at me and I squinted.

"What the fuck is happening?" I scowl at them, the moment they walk in.

"The dead... the dead."

"Far, they're not that far. Big horde."

I raise my arms and let out a big sigh and slam them down by my side. "Fuck."

"I think it's time to leave, now." Adrian says.

"Oh now you think so!" I yell. "Please just get Ethan bring him to the truck. Kate and I will make sure the kids get in safe. Did you find anything?"

"Some power drinks... grape flavor, one water." Kate responds.

"Any medical supplies?"

"I found a pet store slash vet." Kate says. "In the back, they had some stitching supplies, not much but I think I can work with it."

"Okay! Then let's go."


	7. Going Places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group separates while getting away from walkers. Elena is saved by a stranger.

Chapter Seven: Going Places

The car swerves as Adrian drives away front the dead herd that had found and followed us. I sit backwards in the passengers seat, keeping an eye on my brother who is getting cleaned up by Kate. His screaming worries me, seeing my brother in pain was something I never wanted to see. Kate had explained that there was no bullet shards, and that it had went right through, the only damage there was the hole.

"Is there any way we can stop soon?" Kate asks. "It's gonna get hard to stitch it. I'm gonna need another hand too."

I open the window on my side, putting my head to to check how far we were from the herd.

"They're not so close."

"If we can get a mile away, drive some more. I'm sure we can stop then." Adrian looks through his side mirror then peaks his head out further, careful not to crash the car while doing so.

"We can't risk it."

"He's your bother." Adrian says, driving faster.

"Elena." Kate pleads.

I sigh, agreeing. As much as I wanted to protect everyone at this point, they were right. We needed to take care of Ethan before we do anything else. Even if that meant wasting gas and traveling further without any plans.

"Fine, alright." I sit back in the chair. "One mile."

Adrian drives for what seems like hours, but it was still broad daylight. Luckily, the dead weren't that fast, but if we stood on the side of road in the middle of nowhere for quite some time, then they were bound to catch up. Adrian had parked off the road, by the trees. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything around us. So, we had to settle for the side of the road.

I told Adrian for him to stay and look out while Kate and I clean and wrap up my brother's wound. Kate did most of the work as I helped pass her certain materials while I held onto my brothers arms for support. He took it much better than he did the first few days, I guess he got used to it. But that hurt me, seeing him hurt.

I wouldn't let anyone hurt him again, or Kate, the twins or even Adrian. And if the dead, or any other person came along to hurt them, they'd have to get to me first. And that would be a challenge...for them.

A sudden jolt of the truck stopping launches me forward, but the seat belt keeps me from banging my whole body on the front dash.

"Why'd you stop?!"

"And why did you stop like that?!" Kate yells.

Adrian panics, "goddamn it!" His hand slamming on the wheel of the car. "We ran out of gas."

"We have to run." I shake my head, planning out what we could do and where to go once we step out of the truck. "I'm so stupid. I should've taken more gas that day. We drove too damn much these past few days!"

"It's not your fault. And I don't think Ethan can run. We can't." Kate answers.

"You guys should just go. Leave me here, get somewhere safe."

"Ethan no, you're okay." Kate pleads. "We leave together."

"No," he sits up, "I can't hold you guys back. There's too many of them out there."

"I can't leave you here alone." I raise my voice, looking at him from the front of the car. "We leave together. If we get out of here now, we can beat them."

"You're insane." Adrian says, "But you're right. Ethan, you're coming with us. I'll carry you."

"I'll weigh you down."

"I'll take my chances."

There was no way Ethan would weigh Adrian down, considering the height and weight difference between them. Ethan was a lot shorter than Adrian's six foot whatever he was. Adrian was a bit bigger in weight too, but he was lean. His broad shoulders had made him tower over everyone he stood next to.

"Elena," Adrian calls out. "I'll protect him."

I nod at him, and give my brother one last look until we see each other again in just a moment.

"There's about a dozen dead, I think a lot more." Kate says, grabbing the twins. "You follow us and listen to what we do."

The twins nod their heads, clutching onto each others arms as they hide behind Kate. I stare at their frightened faces, as I figure out a plan that'll get them to safety. And the best thing I could come up with was for them to just run.

"Hey," I kneel down to them, "all you need to do right now, is run and don't look back. You got that? Just run and we'll be right behind you. Don't look back, yeah?"

The twins nod, and then stare at Kate.

"Listen to her, okay?" She says. "Run, now. We'll be there for you soon."

Kate guides them towards the woods and pushes them to start running, and they do. The further they go, the less visible they are as they disappear.

"Me and you, we get some of these down and dead and then we run for the woods, away from the rest!"

"What about the truck?"

"Leave it!"

As we run together, some of the dead come dangerously close. In situations like these, it was better to use our gun to kill them quicker. If there were already so many here, mind as well already use it. There was one too many to stop and kill one by one with our knives or anything else. Kate yells at the twins to start running and not look back as we stand and shoot the dead that walks our way. Further away from us, on the other side of the truck, Adrian was getting Ethan out of the truck. Not only was the car something keeping us all apart, but it was the dead creeping their way in too.

Kate's gun falls out of her hands and onto the ground.I turn turn and we stare at each other for a split second, before I use the back of my gun to jam it into a dead one that gets too close to her.

I push it off and drag it down to the ground, slamming my foot into it's head a few times till it's dead. The gun is right next to me and I pick it up, almost tossing it to her hands.

"Forget about the rest, lets just go."

"What about Ethan?" Kate asks, as she shoots one of them and backs away.

"They'll be okay." I say. "But we won't if we don't leave, now."

She nods back at me, and we head for the woods, trying to locate the twins. We run together, and the further we go, the more it was starting to become clear that it was only just me and her. There was no sight of any dead as we ran further out and away from the road, nor was there any sign of the guys.

Is this what it's going to be like forever? Constantly finding people and losing them? For how long can this go on?

After hours in the woods, it becomes pitch black out and still nothing on the twins whereabouts, nor my brother and Adrian's. Luckily, Kate had a lighter on her, so we gathered sticks and leaves to make a fire for light as we rested. There was no talk about what we were going to do next, probably because Kate's waiting for me to come up with a plan. And for now, I didn't have one. Especially with being in the middle of the woods, no map or anything to make us find safety.

"We should get back to the truck." I say, using a stick that's in my hand to move around leaves and add to the fire.

"Why?"

"Just in case the twins went back. Or Adrian."

"What is they're still there?" She refers to the dead.

"I'm sure they're long gone by now. So," I stand up and wipe my hands on my jeans. "We'll head to the truck together, and I'll walk down the side of the road, maybe I can find a gas station or another car."

"We'll go together," Kate stands up. "Splitting up now is too big of a risk, look what just happened."

"I know." I snap. "I know. Look, we have the keys. We'll get to the truck together, gather the supplies left and I'll go on from there."

"Elena please." She pleads. "I'll go with you."

"Kate, I know it probably makes a lot more sense for us to stick together, but we're both strong and we can do this."

During the rest of the night, we travel back to where we once were. The truck was still there, but no one was here. Not even the dead. After looking through the supplies and bags that were still there, thankfully, we sit in the car and talk out the plans.

"Alright, here's the keys." I hand them to her. "You sit in here, lock the doors and stay alert."

"Why did this have to happen?"

"Me too. But things happen, things aren't always gonna go our way."

"I get that, I do. But will we ever catch a damn break?" Kate asks, as her hands rest on the steering wheel.

"Maybe one day, we'll finally be okay. Just have to continue to survive."

We spent the remaining time resting until the night ended. I packed a bag with a water bottle or two, a snack bar that we had found and the empty gas container for when I find some.

As the sun rises, I find myself still in the middle of nowhere, alone. The road was never ending and definitely didn't seem to take me anywhere.

I stop in the road for just a second, catching a breath and look around at my surroundings. My eyes instantly catch a wooden home, or a shack hiding behind some trees out in the woods. Maybe it's abandoned, maybe there's a car there, maybe I'll get lucky?

Hesitating whether or not to continue up the road or check it out, I shake my head and just go for it. I practically run straight into the woods, my hand on the gun ready for anything or anyone to come my way as I investigate what's there.

But suddenly, I'm too loud and now the dead surrounds me in an instant. I circle around in one spot, killing one by one with a knife. There has to be at least a dozen of them, and the more I kill, the more it feels like there's a lot more dead than I thought. I was good, I had this and I was a survivor. It was nothing I couldn't handle.

The last dead one falls to the ground, as a big hatchet slices right through the neck, the head falling with its body. A red headed woman, somewhat taller than me, stands a few feet away from me.

"Nice arm you got there."

The woman looks at me, breathlessly and smiles somewhat wickedly. "I could say the same thing about you."

"You didn't have to help me, you could've let me die. Why didn't you?"

"I have good instinct. And because if I didn't, those fuckers would've found their way back to my people and I."

I clean the blade to my knife, and take a few steps backwards, away from the woman. I raise it, keeping myself on my feet just in case.

"I'm Nora. Have you been out here long? Alone?"

"I'm with a friend, just came out here to look around, for a place to stay the night or for food. And I'm Elena."

"A friend?"

"Her name is Kate. She's my brothers girl, we lost him and our other friend yesterday." I explain.

"Are they dead?"

"Just lost. Are you alone? You can't be the only one asking all the questions." I take a step toward with my hand on my knife just in case.

"Easy there." She smirks. "No, I'm not alone. I have a group."

"Where are they?"

"Where's your friend?"

I squint my eyes as I stare at Nora. She reminds me of myself, someone who isn't scared or won't back down. "She's back at our car. It's out of gas now. We've been lucky to have it for a while."

"Lead me there." She tilts her head. "And then I'll take you back to where we are."

I look at her suspiciously, wondering why she wasn't threatening me yet. "How can I trust you?"

"You can tie my hands around my back as I walk you back to my people. I'm not lying."

"It's a far walk."

"I can manage."

I don't say a word, but after giving it a quick thought, I nod my head. I ask her for her weapon and she complies. We walk next to each other, as I take her towards the road ahead where our truck had been.

The long was long, but neither of us seemed to complain. Time had seem to past fast, and the sun was already going down. Another day lost.

I whistle out for Kate, signaling that I was back. Looking around, we step out onto the road and it was empty, silent too. The only signs that the dead were here and now gone, were the blood and other shit all over the truck. I notice Kate's leather jacket at the front of the truck, her shoulder popping out as she hides.

"It's alright." I call out to Kate, who's now standing up, her gun raised. "She's not armed, she gave me her weapon."

Kate lowers her gun, but holds it by her side.

"The twins show up?" I ask.

"No sign of them, or Ethan and Adrian."

My hand flies to my face, rubbing my forehead as I sigh in defeat. Staying calm was my best bet in the moment, and I couldn't let Kate see me go insane or turn weak just in case Nora turns around and maneuver her way out or hurt us.

"You have children with you?" Nora asks.

"We met a group a long the way, bunch of shit happened." I answered.

"Those kids," Kate walks to us, "they were twins, maybe ten years old."

"And the guys?"

"Her younger brother, Ethan and our friend Adrian...we all got separated a few hours ago. No sign of any of them, but I don't think they're dead." Kate explains.

"We could help you."

I turn to Nora and raise my brows, "why would you help me?"

"Because I'm not bad. And just because everything fell apart, doesn't mean we need to stop helping others." She says, shrugging her shoulders. "Listen, you have every right not to want to trust me, but I'm just saying it won't hurt to believe. I told you, I'll take you to my people and you can decide from there."

Listening to her words and the fact that she helped me hours ago with saving my life, I decided to just give in. As we walked with her, Kate stood behind us as I stood by Nora's side, not trusting her fully enough to lead the way.

"Where you guys from?"

"Austin. Out in Texas." I answer.

"You do know you're in Georgia now. Right?"

"We are?" My eyes widened, laughing in disbelief. "I lost my bag along the way during some shit storm when I ran into a few others. It had my map."

"You headed somewhere specific?"

"We wanted to go east, don't know why. We can't change that now. He knew we were headed to Georgia next. If I stay here for a while or travel, maybe we'll find him again."

"You seem hopeful."

"I'm trying to be."

We continue to walk silently through the woods. Kate walks behind us, her gun is drawn just in case any surprises pop up and threaten us. I walk along side Nora, the black wire tied around her back with her arms like she promised. I hold onto it, a strong grip to make sure she knows I wasn't playing around.

Despite all the tension that had occurred between us moments before, I wanted her and her people to know I wasn't someone to be toyed around with. We make it to where she was staying; the wooden old cabin just a few feet away, trees covering the sides of it.

As soon as we step in front of the cabin, in front of the people who sat outside of it in a circle, our presence was known. Her group, all the women, stand up with their weapons pointing at Kate and I, ready to defend Nora, who seems like she's the leader of the group.

"Stand down." Her voice is strong. "Everyone, this is Elena and Kate. Elena and Kate, this is... everyone."


	8. Could it Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena and Kate are welcomed into Nora's group -- Elena has a hard time with her thoughts and thinking about the future.

Chapter Eight: Could It Be

"Stand down." Her voice is strong. "Everyone, this is Elena and Kate. Elena and Kate, this is everyone."

No one backs down.

"I said stand down!" Nora says, as I take the wire off of her wrist. "This woman isn't a threat, neither is her friend."

"Why should we trust her?" A stark black haired woman approaches us, her outfit was bold; leather up and down.

"You know me," Nora begins, "so trust me. If she was a threat, she would've killed me before. If we were a threat, I would've had her tied up with the wires instead."

The two women who were Nora's friends lowered their weapons, but held them tight as we approached them. One of them had the darkest black hair I'd ever seen, she was tall too and incredibly pretty. And the other, was just about my height and her hair was short, almost face framing short. Together, all three of them looked tough, extremely unstoppable, but in the moment, they had seemed to be stoppable as they tucked their weapons away and embraced us for a moment.

"So, you saved our girl?" The stark black haired asked.

Before I could answer, Nora took a step forward but I held her back to untie her hands.

"We saved each other." Nora replied. "She would've been dead if I didn't grab one of those fuckers. I would've been dead if she didn't either."

"And you decided to bring her here why?" The other one asked.

"Well, her brother and her got separated. Figured we could help them and then part ways from there."

"What do we gain from that?"

"There's nothing to gain, we're just trying to keep humanity alive. Plus, we're not shitty people."

They glance at each other, sharing looks of agreement. A toothless smile lingers on Nora's face as she walks to the door of the cabin. She nods her head at Kate and I, a gesture for us to come with her.

Nora introduces us to her friends, Jenna and Raven and then took us into their cabin. The more we talked to each other about our backgrounds and where we were leading up to now, the more safe we had felt all together. But of course, I didn't let my guard down. I watched every move, listened to every word they said, just to be sure.

We all gathered around a fire that Nora had started, just right outside the small place. It was getting dark out as the sun began to set

"You all from around here?" Kate asks them.

Nora smiles and shakes her head. "These two are from California, the city parts."

"The city parts." Raven scoffs as she looks bewildered. "She means like San Francisco."

"That's a long way from here." Kate says. "How'd you end up in Georgia?"

"The same way everyone else ends up places nowadays." Jenna says. "Cities practically burned down, taken over by some dead fucks. Once you move, you keep moving. Surviving.

"Pretty much all we do these days." Raven rolls her eyes. "No place to call home, never really feeling safe."

"We have each other, Ray." Nora says.

"I know how it is." I say. "Constantly moving, never knowing what's next."

"It's hard," Nora shakes her head, "But you're still alive. That's all that matters."

"Is it?" Kate asks. "What if we ever find a place, build up and start moving forward? Never have to worry about things again."

"That'll make us weak." I say. "We can't just forget about what the world is really like if that ever happens. I doubt that could happen anyways. Finding a home, never worrying again. This... this is the new normal."

"But it could happen." Kate argues.

"She's right." Jenna says. "Let's say we all find a place, you're just going to keep moving and look at your people stay safe while you're risking your life?"

I stay silent, not really sure what I would do if that would ever happen. I wasn't sure I could sit with another group again, and pretend that things were okay just for things to become shit again.

It was proven to me countless of times, before I found Ethan and even after. People turn greedy and pathetic, which results into too many deaths, and loss for a home.

"My only concern right now is my brother and our friend." I say. "I don't need to think about a place that doesn't exist."

Everyone was quiet after I spoke. I couldn't stand the talk of an imaginary place, just them speaking about it made me feel uneasy. Obviously, the idea of a safe place to call home where we could live would be amazing, considering how things are today. But I just couldn't let that become a reality, or else we'd get into some real trouble.

Those threats all being the dead, other survivors that are bad people and losing the skill of survival...becoming weak wasn't something I ever wanted.

Two days have gone by. It felt good to not have any threats or interruptions, but then it reminded me how lost I've felt. With my brother gone, with Adrian gone... the twins. There wasn't much to do or say to make things better, or get them back.

But to not look would be a huge fuck you.

Although the cabin was small, but it was breathable with the five of us sitting in it together. I could barely sleep, even when Kate would stay up and watch out for her and I; for the dead, and for the other women. Couldn't be too safe nowadays.

Kate had made friends with Raven - they were just about the same age and Jenna had to be a little bit older than them, but younger than Nora and I. Jenna was all by her lonesome and she was staying on watch outside.

I sit against the wall, facing the window and front door of the cabin.

"How are you doing?"

I look up and watch Nora as she sits down across from me. She looks exhausted, and I'm not too sure what she and her friends have been through before.

"I'm alright."

"I know what it's like, to lose someone," Nora begins. "Not even from death, just by separation. Getting lost."

I stare at her, knowing she has a point, but not in the mood to hear it.

"Listen, I know we all can relate in times like these, but I'm alright."

"Elena, it's not about whether or not we've been through similar things. It's about making sure we don't lose our minds these days. Everyone went from their normal lives to barely surviving. And I know we just met, and I understand you don't like staying in one place for too long or with people you don't know... But hopefully once we find your brother and friend, you can see that not everyone is going to be pieces of shit."

Nora sighs as she shrugs, her lip slightly curling upwards. I exchange the smile, nodding my head as I listened to her speak. There was something about this woman...

Before I could finish my own thought, I jump to my feet when I hear Jenna shout for Nora. She stares up at me then shoots and walks to the door. She opens it fast, and walks just barely out of it.

"What?" Nora raises her voice.

Jenna comes pouncing toward Nora, pushing her back inside the cabin and slamming the door shut.

We're all standing at this point, looking at her as she's covered in blood. She's breathing heavily, trying to speak in between breaths.

"Jen? Jenna? Are you alright, easy now." Nora takes her back to the wall and gives her water.

"Was someone out there?" I ask, as I approach the window to observe, my hand on my gun.

"No- not... not someone. Some thing. Those damn fucking—monsters!" Jenna yells, and she keeps on yelling. "I'm not scared, alright. But when there's a life threatening amount, then shit gets real scary!"

"Are you bit? Scratched?" I ask.

"Not that I'm aware of." Jenna spits.

"My god, why does this always happen?" Kate says. She must be reading my mind.

"Is there a back door? Any other entrance?" I ask, as I pull my bag up and around my shoulders.

"No." Jenna answers.

"Then we're going to have to break the back down." I say.

"Won't it attract the others?" Nora asks.

"It will." I answer. "But it's better we do it now and quick. Listen, they're going to catch up to us once we start tearing down that wood. It's important we stick together, stay alert and watch each others back."

"Why should we listen to you?" Raven asks as she stands further away from Kate and I.

"Did you have any other plan?" Kate asks, as she backs me up. Raven stays silent as she looks at us with dislike. "I thought so."

"Nora will use her weapon, so will I. No guns, just try and use your lower body strength." I explain as I look down to their feet. All wearing boots, that was good. "See? Kick at the bottom after every hit. Then, once the wood starts giving in, we'll use our upper strength! And we'll run."

"Together." Kate says. "Remember, stay alert."

Nora nods, and as soon as we glance at each other, I nod at her to begin hitting the wooden walls with her hatchet. She swings once, twice and then a third time, which finally breaks some of the wood.

Luckily, the cabin wasn't built well at all. As soon I as kick in where Nora had first hit, the wood breaks in, my foot almost catching inside. The others rush to our sides and start using the back of their guns and other hard things they had.

The growls from the dead continued to grow louder as more surrounded the front. I began sweating as my heart began to pound faster and harder, working my best to put all my strength into kicking the walls down. The sound of glass shattered from behind us, Kate joining Raven behind us to watch out.

"They broke the window." Raven said. "They can get in!"

"We're almost through!" Nora yells.

"Just come back!" I shout, making sure we get through the wood quicker than the dead can realize they can walk around and meet us on the other side. "It's almost through!"

Pieces of wood come falling down, outwards, as Nora keeps throwing her upper body strength into the movements with her hatchet. Suddenly, we create a bigger opening, just enough for us to get through.

Quickly, I grab onto my bag's other strap to properly wear it and yank Kate's arm as I pull her with me through the opening. I pull out my knife and gun, ready to kill any of the dead as they make there way to us. I yell at the other women to come out, ready to get the fuck out of here.

"We don't have all day, let's go! Watch your backs!" I yell, as I run to the side of the cabin and jam my knife into a dead's head that made their way to us. Kate runs to cover the other side and does the same.

One after another, It all begins to be too much.

There's more than two dozens of them surrounding the cabin. They're more dirty than normal, wet too. There must've been a lake nearby. Nora comes running by and stands next to me as we fight off the dead. Kicking them down in their stomachs, stabs in their necks and heads.

Once I put pressure back onto the heels of my feet, I walk backwards, looking to my right and seeing everyone out of the cabin, I start picking up my pace.

"Fuck it!" I yell. "Let's go, run!"

Kate follows close by my side as we pace forward, deeper into the woods. Nora is just behind me and Raven and Jenna stick a bit further away from us on each sides, watching out for anymore dead ones.

After running a good amount to put distance between us and them, we found ourselves walking along an old train rail. I told them it could be dangerous, since it might be an actual trail that people could be following.

So, we kept our weapons out and ready for anything or anyone who might be behind or ahead.

I stood in the front of everyone, walking ahead as I checked around us by the woods for any signs for people or the dead. I was looking for things that might be an injured person and another person. The distinction between tracking people, animals and the walking dead were huge, so it was easy to tell when I didn't come across my brother or Adrian.

We couldn't tell or remember how far we had strayed from our old truck, so it made it harder to determine whether or not we were headed in a direction Ethan and Adrian might've went towards after we were separated.

Walking on and on felt like forever, felt like days had gone by and passed us. But, it had only been two days on the trail without stopping. And soon enough, we were going to have to.

As I got closer, I read thick words painted words I couldn't make out just yet. I whistled out for Kate and heard her running up behind me.

"Sanctuary for all. Community for all those arrive survive." Kate reads, as she stands by the wooden sign. "A sanctuary?"

"It could be old," I say. "It probably could be run down, swarmed with the dead."

"We won't know unless we get there." Nora chimes in.

"My brother is still out there and he's hurt. Our friend is with him too, but they're out there." I begin to say. "I can't just move on."

"We told you we would help you find him," Nora said. "We could look along the way, and who knows, maybe he'll be there at this sanctuary."

It stays silent among us, as we give each other looks. I turn my head down, thinking about all the possibilities. What if my brother saw it and they were making there way there too? Could it really be? A safe place waiting for survivors like us? 

"He could be there." Kate says hopefully, as she grabs my hand. "We're not giving up on him, if that's what you're thinking. Whether we find him on the way to the place, or we find him there...we'll see him soon."

I nod my head and shift my weight on my other foot as I think.

"But if he isn't there, I'm not staying." I announce. "I'll continue to search until I have no more leads, till I have proof that he's just gone. But he's my brother, and I won't stop."


	9. Allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena and Nora separate from the other women and end up tracking some trouble, and meeting some new people in which Elena decides to save.

I saw it coming, but I didn't think it would happen so damn quick.

Despite Nora and her people wanting to tag along and help me find Ethan and Adrian, I didn't think they would look to me to lead them. At this point, I didn't think they'd stay along with Kate and I for the amount of days that they did. I expected them to move on, leave and head straight for the sanctuary without observing almost every inch of the woods. I didn't think I would become this leader, they were here and they were just going along.

But for some reason, they stuck around. I wasn't sure if this is what I wanted, If a group was a good idea. All those groups before, every part of my luck seemed to vanish. But somehow, this luck of mine started to grow into something new.

Lose your people, gain new people. That was Nora and her friends.

We walked along the train tracks after days, and I was picking up on some human movement. I didn't go far away from the tracks, but I did go far enough to tell that the tracks led along the rails. Doing this and keeping an eye out for Kate wasn't too hard, especially since she had been welcomed quickly by Raven. Her friend, Jenna, didn't seem too harsh but she was still holding her ground. The sun was coming up, it was bright and gave us some heat to warm up from the cold winds that started to pick up.

I looked behind me and saw Nora making her way to my side, as I walked along the rails.

"I think we should stop here." I say, crouching down at the ground, observing the rusty rails and some foot prints from a boot.

"Camp out today and I'll join you out in the woods, look for more of those tracks."

"Thank you."

The ground was dry, no mud or prominent foot prints other than the one I had found. It was fading away, so it had to be more than just a few days since this person, or people were here. I stand up and look back to the other women walking behind us.

"Alright, we're gonna stop." I say. "For a day maybe. I'm going far out, pick up any more signs of people. Hoping it's Ethan and Adrian."

"You're not going alone, are you?" Kate asks as she reaches me.

"Nora will join me, you guys will set up away from the rails."

"Lena..."

"Everything will be fine," I take Kate's hand. "I'll be back before you know it. I won't leave you."

Kate furrows her brows as she squeezes my hand. Her smile is barely there, but I can tell she's worrying. I pull her in for a hug, patting her back.

"We're family. I'm gonna find my brother and bring him back to us." I tell her, pulling away.

"Take turns on watch. Look out for each other." Nora says as she grabs her bag and settles it on her shoulders.

"If anything happens, just keep moving forward. That Terminus place shouldn't be so far from here. I think we're getting closer." I speak to Kate, Jenna and Raven.

We separate from and each other and make our way off the tracks. Nora and I walked a few feet apart to cover more grounds, as we ventured out away from the group. We also stay in silence, not wanting to lose my focus.

There wasn't many foot prints, or any signs of human life. Ever since it stopped probably a mile back, I was beginning to lose some hope. We caught onto some dragging rhythms, which we knew weren't the dead. I told Nora it might've been Ethan, considering his wound on his leg. But it was like there was only one person we've been tracking, but maybe it was someone else's entirely. I just didn't want to easily give up, despite being not much for me to do in order to find my brother.

I hear Nora whistle, and I walk to her with the hope she might've picked up the trail again. She stands up from crouching down and looks at me, pointing her finger behind her.

"I saw some dead ones heading our way. Not too sure if there's a lot, but..."

"It's fine. We'll just stay alert and when we need to, we'll take them out."

Nora nods, her hand on her waist. She turns back around and curses.

"What?"

"People, a lot of them."

"Are you kidding?" I ask, as I move in front of her and squint my eyes to look ahead. She wasn't wrong. There were a bunch of men, killing the dead that were heading our way, and talking extremely loud as they laughed with each other.

"Fuck, are those the people we've been tracking?"

"No, no. It can't be."

"Well, I think it might be."

"No, it really can't be. There's like a dozen of them, the tracks I've picked up on were one, maybe two people." I turn to her as we crouch down by the trunk of the tree.

"The tracks stopped a while back, Elena. This could've been them, or-"

"Gonna go take a piss! Maybe find a goddamn deer somewhere." A voice calls out.

My head turns to Nora, our eyes both widens as we realize one of the men were coming out way. I've handled these things before, pretty sure Nora has too. But this time it was different, there a dozen of those men not too far from the wandering one.

We let him keep walking to us, better to get him right next to us. It's gonna make it easier once he's in our sight and far away from his group. I turn my head around, my eyes meeting Nora's as I nod. He's getting closer, and we draw our weapons.

I peak out again, to get my eyes back on the guy. But my heart starts to pound, just realizing that he's gone.

"Fuck."

"What h-"

I feel Nora's body pull away from mine. I quickly turn around, her body being dragged on the ground by the man I had taken my eyes off of. He's grabbing her by the hair, then holds her arms behind her forcing her up against a tree as he plays around with his belt.

Looking all over at his arms and legs, I see no weapon in sight, so I make a run for it behind him, kicking at his leg.

His balance falters, his grip on Nora loosening. I watch as she twists his arm and jumps out of his grasp. The man tries to scream in pain, but I cover his mouth with my hands. Nora takes his arm and bends it the wrong way, causing a huge snap to echo through the woods.

She bounces back and heads for her gun and hatchet back by the tree we were hiding behind.

I force him down to the floor, my right arm around his neck. He chokes out but starts to laugh.

"Well, shit!" The men leans back and laughs. "If it isn't my lucky damn day, not one but two women?"

"Shut up." Nora threatens, as she walks to him breathless. Her hands hold her hatchet, raising it up and waits for me to speak.

"How many people are with you?" I ask, but he doesn't answer. I tighten my grip around his neck.

"Answer me, or you'll regret it."

"Oh, that's so funny."

"You heard her." Nora says. "How many fucking disgusting men like you are there? Five? Ten? Maybe more?"

"Yeah, maybe more." He spits. "Hey now, let's just take it easy. Maybe I can take you to them, have some fun. Hm, maybe you'll love too."

Nora scoffs and throws down her arms, forcing the hatchet to chop off his arm, and he lets out the loudest scream.

"We're fucked." I say.

"Yeah no shit."

"You- you fucking bitches! They're going to come for you now." He starts laughing through the pain and I let go of my grasp and watch him fall over.

Nora starts to raise her arms again, but I call out to her. I take my knife off of my waist band and walk up behind him.

"Not so funny anymore is it?" And without an answer, I use the knife to slice his neck deeply and all around. The only sounds left from him, are the gasping for air and the choking on the liquid that pours out of him.

"What did you say you were before this?"

"I was going to be a teacher or a psychologist." 

"How the hell did you know how to do stuff like that?" She breathes heavily.

"My father was in the military. Although he put my brother and I in karate classes and boxing classes throughout our childhood, he taught us moves. He also thought a woman should know how to protect herself."

"Well, God bless your father." Nora laughs, rising up from the ground. "But that knife though? He taught you that too?"

"Something I learned since the start. How many men was he with?"

"At least a dozen."

Nora looks around, making sure this prick's group were looking our way or coming to find him.

Before I could answer, twigs snap from behind me along with leaves rustling. I spin around and point my gun up at the man who stands in front with his weapon pointed at me. He looks dirty, ragged and his crossbow was black, almost rusty. His face looks tired, his body moving slow, but there was something still tough about him.

I raise my arms up, my gun aiming at him as I walk towards the man.

"Put your weapon down." I demand, as Nora joins my side and draws her weapon. "Do it."

"Nah." His deep voice says. "You killed these men?"

"Why, were these your friends?"

"He was going to do things to us. Probably kill us right after. Or take us back to your group." Nora says.

"Those ain't my people." He says. "He probably deserved what you did to him."

"You got that right. So, they're not your friends?" I ask, putting my weapon down. I raise my eyebrows at him, tilting my head up as I motion to his crossbow. He puts it down to his side, his body shifting from his left foot to his right.

"Nah. They were just guys who found me, and took me along with them."

"You gonna go back to them?" Nora questions.

"Gonna have to."

"I'm Elena, this is Nora."

"Daryl."

"Well Daryl, if we ever cross paths again, or if you see us from a distance, be kind and lead them away." Nora suggests. "You saw what happened to their boys."

Daryl nods, and looks suspiciously at us both.

"Are you gonna get going?" I ask.

"Y'all better get going." He starts to walk ahead as he turns his head to us. "They definitely heard all of the screaming. It's best you get going."

I look at Nora who's impatiently waiting for the man to walk away and leave us be. He stares at us, then nods his head, stalking away from us as he heads back further into the distance, disappearing behind trees.

"Never met a man like that before." Nora shakes her head, chuckling the tiniest bit as we start to walk.

"First time for everything." I reply. "Let's get back and fucking fast. I'll show you how to cover tracks. It'll be messy and quick, but you better listen." 

Although it had taken some time to get back to where we were and where the group was, we made it back safely. Kate embraced me tightly once I returned and quietly thanked god as she buried her face in my shoulder. I assured her everything was fine, even gave her a told you so.

The group asked if we should stay camping out for another day, so that Nora and I could rest. But I declined, Nora agreeing, as I said we should keep moving. The group we had encountered was a group we shouldn't ever have to see again. They were tough, forceful and it would be a good idea. So, we packed up everything and strayed away from the tracks, meeting a road instead.

We decided we would keep looking for any signs of Ethan and Adrian, as we slowly make our way to Terminus.

I was exhausted from the lack of rest and the constant fighting. This was how the world was going to be, even if you were with the people you loved and even when they were gone. You just needed to keep going, no more settling down. I notice Nora slowing down beside me, her hand grabbing my jacket sleeve.

"I see a fire." Nora stops walking, as I look ahead.

"Yeah, there's a car too." I reply, as I move us to the side of the road just to be safe.

We weren't that far from whoever was by the fire, but I wanted to get closer. I needed to make sure that it wasn't the men from before, and there weren't any dead ones walking around. We started walking towards the car, their voices getting louder. A terrifying scream roars through the air, coming from behind the car. As I run to the back of the car, Nora grabs onto my arm, pulling me back to her.

"That's not our problem!" Nora protests. "Let's go."

"No, I heard a fucking kid yell. I'm not gonna leave."

A bunch of shadows stand around, the only light there was from the dying fire. I hear footsteps behind me as I hide, hunching over behind the car. Looking over my shoulder, Nora crouches down besides me, along with her friends and Kate.

"So what now?" Nora grits through her teeth. "It's not our damn problem."

"I'm getting sick of this. It's just a fucking kid." Kate said. "We should help."

"We have to. They're out numbered, we can't just let them die." I say.

"Change of heart?" Jenna asks. "Now you wanna help people?"

I roll my eyes. When I look back at the men, I hear a gruff and familiar voice, a man standing in the middle of others.

"I know them, they're good people."

I nudge Nora in the shoulder, "That man... that's Daryl."

"The man from before." She whispers.

I stand up, making my way around the car as I count the men who stand around Daryl. I hear Kate call out for me but I ignore them. Instead, I raise my hand to signal them to follow me as I move forward.

There's commotion coming from all the men, even the boy I heard screaming before. The men in front of me had gathered around together, forcing Daryl in the middle as they punch and kick him to the ground. I hear the women behind me, finally arriving to my side as switch the grip on my gun, holding it by the front as I get ready to use the grip.

Pulling my arm all the way back I use all my strength to knock one of the guys out in the back of the head, causing him to fall to the ground. I take my knife out of my waist line from my jeans, stabbing him in the back of the head. I hear someone call my name from behind, Kate standing in another man's grasp.

Nora and the other two take out the men that were hurting Daryl. The boy just a few feet away, starts to cry through his screams. I see Jenna coming from the corner of my eyes, heading for Kate.

"Grab him!" Jenna yells. "I got this."

I wanted to stand there and watch Jenna get Kate away from the man, but I needed to trust that she was going to help. Shaking my thoughts away, I run and tackle the man that lays on top of the boy. We fall over into the grass, just slightly off the concrete road. My head bangs right onto the road, my eyes instantly closing as I groan in pain. But I push through it.

The man tries to grab my thighs and waist at the same time, but he's weak. My eyes widen, blurry though, once I notice what he's trying to do, what he tried to do to the boy just moments before. I lift one of my legs up and drape it over his shoulder, my other leg doing the same thing. I let them cross, making sure they tighten around his neck.

His hands are flailing around, trying to get a grip on me. But he doesn't. I lift my arm back, searching for my knife I had dropped. My fingers are cold, and I know it's my knife. I reach for it, stretching my body while keeping my legs tighter on his neck. I grab my knife, turning it around to grab it and throw my arm forward.

There's a squelching sound once the point of my knife jams into the back of his head. His arms slowly stop moving, finally. You push him off, groaning at the throbbing pain in the back of your head.

"My son." I hear a man say, once I start to crawl over back to the concrete. My eyes start to get heavy, closing and opening them repeatedly. I hear my name being called from afar, but once I see someone drop to the ground for me, my eyes shut.

The sun had disappeared within the next few hours. Everyone with me had stood farther from Daryl and his people, just to give them some space for what they had just been through. I woke up in Kate's lap, her hand underneath my head with a wet blanket or towel. I look up at her and nod my head as I lean up, her hand guiding me forward as I sit. Nora is resting as Jenna stays awake watch her and Raven on the ground. She nods her head at me and a smile. My head is still pounding, the pressure still lingering in the back.

The man from before, Daryl, walks over to us and bends down on his knees.

"Elena," He nods. "Thank you... for stopping."

"You helped us days ago, without you we wouldn't have been here last night. So, thank you."

"Why'd you stop?"

"I couldn't just walk away from a kid screaming for help either." I smile, "Besides, Nora and I recognized your voice."

Daryl scoffs, rolling his eyes as he gets up. His boot kicks mine and he walks back to the truck where his people were. He sits up against it, along with his friend and they talk as I observe them. They seemed harmless, but after watching the man tear our the guys throat last night, I wouldn't want to turn on them or ever get on their bad side.

After a while, which seemed like hours,

"Thank you," I look up and see a man standing in front of me as I sit on the road with Kate holding a wet towel against my head. His face and jacket is stained in blood, and looks a hell of a lot worse than I do.

"That was my son back there, the one you saved from that man. I can't thank you enough." His voice is low, a southern accent spilling out of his mouth.

"Heard a kid in need of help," I say. "Wasn't going to keep walking."

"I'm Rick and my son, that's Carl."

"Elena."

"Well," he nods, "thank you, Elena."

I look in his eyes and all I see is sadness, but besides all the blood and the beard, I start to see a slight glimmer of relief. Something tells me he's been through much more than what happened last night.

"Where are you headed?" He asks. "We found some signs about a terminus, a sanctuary for those who survive. You're all more than welcomed to join us."

"We were actually heading there." Nora says. "But we've been making stops a long the way. Her brother is missing."

"We'll get there when we get there." Kate chimes in. "It's important we find him."

Rick nods his head, then turns back to me.

"I've lost a person I love, I'm not giving up. We lost two people, they're gone and I need to find them."

"I get it. We've lost a whole lot. Maybe one day we'll see you there." Rick starts walking backwards as he looks at me. "You saved my son, my family. We won't forget that, or you."


	10. Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg happy new year!! here's a quick chapter, hope you all enjoy it -- leave a kudo and comment, I'd love to hear from everyone reading!

Chapter Ten: Plans

We weren't far from Terminus, the place for all those who survive. There was another sign indicating that we were about a mile out and if we stood on the tracks, we'd get there. Nora wasn't sure if we should continue following it exactly suggesting that we should stray a couple of feet off just to make sure we wouldn't run into a dead end, some dead or even people who weren't good. 

I had began questioning the place as we got closer, agreeing with Nora about getting off the tracks. The two of us had diverted from the group and out into the trees to make sure things were clear to change our direction. 

I bend down to the ground and look all over, noticing some foot markings and a some type of wrapper from some candy. Tracking could be easy, but when you were looking for someone or something specific, it could sometimes get difficult. This was especially difficult since I haven't been tracking for a long time - I have a lot to learn. 

"I see people up a head." Nora says as she stops walking, standing a few feet away from me.

"So that definitely confirms these tracks then." I say as I stand up. "Is it those men again?" 

Nora shakes her head smiling and nudges me in the arm to pull me in her direction behind a tree. We glance at each other for a moment and I take my gun out just to be safe. She turns her head to peer out at the people she mentioned and turns back around shaking her head. 

"No, but it's people we know." 

I furrow my brows and take a few steps forward, squinting my eyes as a small group of people together. 

"It's those guys, that woman too." 

"So, what's the plan?" Nora raises her eyebrows. 

I hesitate for a moment unsure whether or not we should make way and take the offer that Rick mentioned to me just days before. We were bound to see each other again so this must've been it? Couldn't find Ethan and Adrian, so they must be inside Terminus...I bit my lip and closed my eyes in attempt to come up with an answer that wasn't 'I don't know'. 

"I guess," I try and speak, opening my eyes and looking at Nora then back at the group ahead. "I guess we...join them."

"You wanna catch up to them?" Nora asks. "I'll get the girls, meet you over there." 

Nodding in agreement, Nora and I split up and I make my way over to Rick and his group who are slowly walking throughout the woods. What was I doing? Was I really about to stick around with Nora's group and now Rick's too? This isn't right, I shouldn't be walking ahead and agreeing to everything that's been happening these past few days. 

There was no more settling down with groups anymore and anywhere, not when it leads to chaos and loss. Not to mention Ethan is still gone I can't allow myself to stop searching for him, even if my hope slowly begins to run out. I can't give up on him.

But here I was walking further into the woods and closer to this new group and a new place with the claim of a sanctuary for us survivors. How can I trust this place and go in their blind with people I truly barely know? 

I whistle out to make my presence known once I reach Rick and his people as I also raise my hands just in case. I don't say a single world just in case there were others out here. 

"Elena, right?" The crossbow man relaxes and puts his bow down, stepping forward. 

"Daryl, right?" I nod. "My people are back there." 

"I take it you saw Rick?" He nods behind him. 

"Yeah. Nora saw you guys up ahead, thought you were some other people. What's your plan?" 

"Just looking around this place. Making something up before we do go inside." 

"So, you have a good feeling about this place?" I ask, taking a step forward trying to find some type of encouragement or purpose to go ahead with Terminus. 

"Don't know what to expect anymore." He shrugs. "You?" 

"I don't either." 

He chews on his lip for a moment as he stares at me with contemplation. He turns his head around to stare back at his people and then back around shrugging once more. "What do you say, get in there together?" 

"All of us?" 

"Might look better that there's more of us." He says. "We could use each other, more help just in case shit doesn't turn out like we expect." 

When Nora, Kate and the girls arrive to where Daryl and I stand, he leads the way back to where Rick had been hanging out. Everyone greets each other again, Rick thanking us for what went down the last time. Rick makes his way to me after talking to Nora, a small smile playing on his lips. 

"You again." 

"Yeah," I smile, shaking my head to confirm. "Nice of you guys to let us join you." 

"I had a feeling we'd be seeing you again, taking me up on the offer." 

"I'm still indecisive about everything. But I'm here now." 

"Why's that?" Rick asks.

Kate takes a few steps towards me and stands by my side, intruding on the conversation. To be fair, the entire group were huddled up together anyways. 

"Yeah, why?" She asks. 

"Oh you know why." I glance at her. 

"Your brother, right?" Rick asks.

"Yeah, I don't want to be stop looking and move on. He should be here with me, with us. Terminus...if this place is good, if everything is safe then I can't stay here. Not without him."

I stop talking and take a few seconds to gather myself before I start crying over my brother and everything. I needed to get my shit together before breaking down in front of everyone, including people I didn't even know. I take a few steps back and raise my hand.

"Give me a minute." 

"I'm gonna talk to her." I hear Kate tell Rick and the group as I walk away. 

I stop at a tree, resting my hand on the chipped bark and sigh. I hear her footsteps behind me coming to a stop, Kate standing next to me. 

"I love Ethan," kate looks at her shoes and nods her head, "and I just know that he would want me, us to move on. Didn't we all talk about this once? If we were to ever lose each other and not to death, we would not ever give up but move on and get to a better place. Even if that means settling down somewhere.

We have each other Elena. You're not alone and we have Nora and them too. And this man? Rick Grimes or whatever...these people are good and it seems like this can be something if we let it. I'm not saying forget Ethan, but maybe if we settle down...looking for him might be easier then than it is now."

"You trying to tell me that it'll be easier?" 

"In a way." She stares at me. "More hands and heads mean a better chance at getting Ethan back, Adrian too." 

"Okay. We'll do this...together then."

Kate and I walk back to the group in silence but determined to get back into making plans with Rick and everyone for our arrival in Terminus. The group had formed a lazy circle standing next to one another as we rounded up our weapons and settled them into the whole that Daryl had dug up.

"So, what's it going to be?" Nora stands up with her hands resting on her waist, her red hair flowing in the wind that had just begun to pick up. The weather was getting colder and I wasn't sure I was ready for snow to fall soon. It won't make surviving or searching for Ethan any easier. 

"Are we going to walk in there defenseless?" I furrow my brow in question trying to make sense of the plan. 

"Nah, not defenseless." Daryl says. "Keep a weapon each on us, keep the rest out here hidden."

"Yeah, that way if shit goes down we'll have a plan b." Rick says.

"So plan a is exactly what then?" I nod up at Rick, raising my eyebrows at him. "Keeping us in the dark?"

Rick smirks at her and then tilts his head down as he averts his eyes to the bag of weapons in the ground. 

"Plan a is to hide these, walk straight into this place and have a little hope. After...plan b is to get the hell outta there if things go south. If it does, then we'll be back right here and we got these." 

Looking inside the hole and the bag filled with weapons, I smile down at the silver, long weapon that stands out from the guns. "Nice machete." 

"That one's mine." You look up at meet Rick's eyes from a few feet away. 

"She's beautiful, looks like it can get the job done." 

"She is." He nods. "And she sure can."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be back with chapter 11 by the end of this week, hopefully sooner if my days work out this week lol


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